Do you have Intentions?
by Nika Dixon
Summary: What happened before Rodney showed up in the gym at the end of Tracker to put that little smirk on Ronon's face? : R/K Tag to Tracker, precursor to First Contact.


_**Author's Note**: Okay! As promised!! After breathlessly watching Tracker only about a half-a-dozen times, I had to come up with a reason for that saucy smirk Ronon had at the end when he was talking to Rodney about his intentions. :) So here's MY missing scene that takes place right before Rodney walks into the gym. :) Hope you enjoy! _

_Oh - and yes of COURSE it's R/K, silly peoples! :P I love Rodney. I just want Jen with Ronon. :)_

_- Nika_

* * *

Darkness had long past as Ronon stood alone in the empty gym. Spinning the staff around his torso, he repeated the day's events in his mind. Switching from left hand to right, he rotated the staff, his weight shifting effortlessly as he lost himself in the motion.

He'd lost people before.

He'd saved people before.

But today he'd managed to do both in a way that left him feeling… _wrong_ somehow. Disconnected.

_She's not with you?_

The village woman's question echoed through his mind. She's not with you? It was a simple question. A common inquiry. Normally not worthy of a second glance. But he'd known. He'd known as quickly as the words were said. They carried too much weight because she _wasn't_ with him.

He'd let down his guard.

And she could have paid with her life.

It was only through luck… fate… an oddity of circumstance that she was alive and unharmed by the man who'd kidnapped her from the middle of the crowded village. True, Kiryk hadn't truly meant her injury. But what if he had? What if he hadn't been a man with good intentions? What if he'd been man without a core set of morals? What if he'd truly intended her harm?

The last thought bothered him more than the others. Yet to place one thought above the rest would lend credence to one and not the other and he wasn't sure he was going to be able to do that.

A light step sounded in the hallway and he turned.

_Jennifer_.

"Hey." She smiled. "Thought I might find you here."

He steadied the staff and turned towards her, her words ringing with the truth of her purpose. She'd been looking for him?

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Was all he could think of asking. It was late. Later than she should normally be up after such an… _adventure_ as she called it earlier.

"Shouldn't you?" She countered.

"Not tired."

"Me either."

"Liar." He leaned closer, the edges off his mouth turning up. He could see the darkness in her eyes… the reflection of a day filled with fear, uncertainty, and adrenaline.

Dressed casually in denim and an oversized sweatshirt, she stopped a few feet away. He lowered the staff and waited, wondering if she come with a purpose, or more to appease the lost look that was wavering deep inside her eyes.

Then she smiled and the look was gone. "Fine." She laughed. "I'm absolutely exhausted. But I can't sleep."

"You should try."

"I did." She shrugged, then brushed her bangs aside with her fingers. "I'll try again later." She stuck her hands into the front pocket of her jeans, and rocked back on her heels. "What about you?" Her eyes moved to the staff, and she frowned, then looked up into his face. "Oh. I'm sorry. You're… waiting for someone."

"No." He shook his head, dropping the end of the staff onto the floor and propping his palms across the top.

"No?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Planning on beating yourself up?"

_You have no idea._

He shrugged. "Just… killing time."

She nodded, her eyes shifting from his face, to his hands, then down to a spot on the floor. She stepped to the side, walking slowly to the back wall where she ran her finger down the side of the colored glass set into the walls.

He waited, unmoving.

She inhaled slowly, and turned towards him.

"Ronon, I-"

"Jennifer-"

They spoke as one, overlapping each other's thought.

She laughed, and he couldn't help smiling at the infectious sound. She shook her head and moved to stand in front of him.

"I'm sorry." He said before she could complete the thought forming on her lips.

"What are _you_ sorry for?"

He rested his chin against the top of his hands, which were still propped on the top of the long staff.

"I should have been there. In the village."

"Ronon…"

"I shouldn't have left you alone."

She made a face. "It was a perfectly safe village."

"It wasn't."

She shook her head. "There's no way you could have known what was going to happen."

"Exactly." He raised his head. "It would never have happened if I'd been there and for that I am sorry."

"Ronon." She stepped forward, her hands hesitating in the air before settling on top of his. She tipped her head back and leaned her chin against his thumbs. With one eyebrow raised she blinked up at him. "You saved my life out there. If you hadn't shown up when you did, you and Rodney, we would never have made it to the gate. _I_ would have never made it to the gate. Those Wraith would have had me for a snacky-treat."

Ronon snorted. "Snacky-treat?"

Jen grinned.

He slid his bottom hand out from beneath the pile and placed it on top of hers, sandwiching her delicate fingers between his. "You did good out there."

"I had a good teacher." She smirked, lifting her head, then the shrugged with a laugh. "Not that it did much good."

"You held off a Wraith long enough for McKay to shoot him. Sounds pretty good to me."

"Yeah… there is that." She licked her bottom lip then pulled it between her teeth. With a slight raise to her shoulders she released it. "Actually I was talking about Kiryk. Trying to get away from him was like trying to fight with you."

"That's why you fight with me. So you learn."

"Yeah, I learned all right." She snorted. "I learned how to get stunned. Several times in fact."

He lightly squeezed her fingers. "You didn't go down. You didn't give up."

"Give up? I panicked." She grimaced, and tried to pull her hands back but he held firm. "The worst part was not knowing what he wanted. I didn't know if he wanted to rob me, kidnap me or kill me." She sighed and shook her head. "Certainly not one of my better days."

"Sorry." He answered softly.

She dropped her chin and eyed him through her bangs.

"If you don't stop apologizing for something you couldn't control, I'm going to take that stick and crack you upside the head with it."

"You will, huh." He couldn't stop the grin. He much preferred the fire in her eyes to the residual memories that lurked much deeper.

"I will." She flipped her bangs away from her face with a shake of her head.

"And just how do you propose to stop me, Doctor Keller?" He took several steps back and slid his hand down the staff, spinning it quickly around his torso.

"Oh…" She tipped her head back and glared at him haughtily. "I have my ways, Specialist Dex. This isn't just another pretty face you know. I'll bet you… Rodney's jello… that I can stop you before you stop me."

"And if I win?"

"You keep the jello."

"Deal." He nodded, moving quickly forward.

He stepped in front of her, the staff wide to his left, anticipating a dodge to the right, just like he'd taught her.

But instead she jumped ahead, meeting his forward motion and slamming against him. She threw her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly, laughter shaking through her.

He stopped instantly, frozen in place, the staff suspended in the air above her shoulders.

Okay… _that_… he had not expected.

"See?" She snorted into his chest. "You stopped. I win."

He couldn't answer.

When she looked up, her arms still locked around his waist the wide, sunny smile hesitated then fell and he instantly wanted it back. He grabbed for her before she could let go.

"Don't." He dropped his arms around her, pulling her against him.

"Don't what?" She answered softly, worry reflecting through her eyes. He felt her body stiffen, her spine straightening as she held her breath. "Don't… hug you? Or… don't… _not_… hug you?"

"Don't move." He reiterated. "Just… stay."

"Okay." She exhaled slowly, her body relaxing into his with each breath. When she finally lowered her head, he exhaled, letting the shock and tension out of his shoulders. He adjusted his arms, hooking around her narrow frame and pulling her closer.

"Ronon?" Her voice was muffled against the front of his shirt.

He waited.

"Thank you." She turned her head to the side, her fingers clenching around the middle of his back.

"For what?"

"For… today. For teaching me. For coming after me. For… everything."

He nodded, his chin brushing the top of her head. He had no idea how to answer. What to answer. _If_ he should answer. So he didn't. When she lifted her head, her eyes held too much emotion. Too much promise. To much hope.

He was lost.

As he lowered his head, a cacophony of little voices warred inside his skull. Screaming to stop. Cheering him on. He hesitated, close enough he could feel her breath on his lips. Waiting.

When she lifted her chin, the tentative touch of her mouth was the only invitation he needed. She was warmth and sunshine and took him to a place he hadn't thought he'd feel again. With a need for oxygen he finally released her, and she sagged against him, her fingers twisted in the cloth of his shirt. Her breath came in ragged bursts, echoing the static pounding of his heart.

"Wow." She whispered, breaking the silence and making him grin. "Does that mean I won?"

He laughed. "I forget what the bet was."

"Me too." She smiled, tentatively releasing his shirt from her fingers.

He lowered his arms. Slowly. Reluctantly.

"I should go." She stepped back, her eyes scanning his face. "Before… I ah… can't."

"Why wouldn't you?"

She started to laugh, her face flushing with an added layer of blush. "You're kidding, right?"

He grinned in automatic response and shook his head.

"If you need to know the answer to that, then you're obviously asking the wrong question."

He raised an eyebrow. "That made no sense."

"Yeah." She nodded, then shook her head quickly, her eyes still locked on his as she backed towards the doorway. "You've addled my brain."

"So what's the _right_ question?"

She hesitated, her tongue darting out to lick her bottom lip, drawing his eyes. When she smiled, his eyes snapped back up to hers.

"When you figure it out… come find me." She laughed, turning into the hallway. Then she hesitated and turned back. "Same time tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded. "If you wish."

She nodded. "I wish." Then she turned and disappeared down the corridor.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there before he realized he was staring like an idiot. He bent to pick up the staff he'd dropped when she'd thrown herself at him, shaking his head at his obvious distraction.

The right question, huh. And just _what_ was the right question?

He turned the staff around his side, spinning it while he considered his options.

Footsteps approached and he turned, disappointment bounding when he faced McKay, and not Jennifer.

"What?" He stopped, his voice sharper than necessary.

"Okay… Here's the thing." Rodney shifted his weight nervously. "I've been thinking and, uh… I need to know your intentions."

"Intentions?"

"With Jennifer."

"I don't have any intentions." Ronon answered, briefly wondering if he was talking about their sparring lessons. Was he talking about tonight? It was late. But why would McKay care if they intended to spar tonight?

"Oh! Okay." Rodney turned and moved to leave. "Good."

Ronon frowned, wondering if there was more too this conversation than the surface. Intentions? Wary of letting it go without knowing more, especially where Jennifer was concerned, he called him back.

"Wait."

McKay stopped and turned around.

"What do you mean by intentions?"

Rodney made a face. "I mean… are you interested in her in a… romantic fashion?"

_Ah_.

Ronon's mind quickly snapped the puzzle piece into place. Intentions. _Was that the right question_? Did he have intentions? She'd certainly kissed him like she'd had intentions. And damned if he hadn't kissed her back like a man with intentions.

Had McKay seen? Was he playing big brother? Or was there more to the question than McKay was letting on?

"No." Ronon answered, curious to see his reaction.

"Good!" Rodney turned away, not bothering to hide his smile.

"Wait." Ronon hesitated. _Let it go_. But if he didn't? There was something to McKay's smirk that didn't sit well.

"What?" Rodney turned, exasperated.

Ronon dropped the staff, propping his hands across the top. "Maybe I do… have… intentions." The look on McKay's face answered the question before it was out. "Do you have intentions?"

"Yes, well of course I do. That's why I was asking you."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know." Rodney sighed. "Well I'm not going to fight you for her, if that's what you're thinking."

"Great." Ronon lifted the staff and shifted it against his palm. He tried to hide the smirk, but knew he was failing miserably.

"I'm not going to step aside, either." Rodney added. "So… we're just going to have to let… her decide."

"Okay." _Intentions, huh._ Ronon fought to keep from smiling. If he hurried, perhaps he could catch Jennifer before she got to her quarters.

"Okay." Rodney answered. After a pause he extracted his hand from his front pocket and extended it. "So… may the best man win."

When Rodney stepped closer, Ronon switched the staff to his left hand, and accepted the challenge with his right. He congratulated himself on not laughing. Leave it to McKay to come up with such a term as intentions.

He stared after Rodney's retreating backside as he plotted his first move. Jennifer was scheduled for a trip on the Daedalus with Woolsey one of these days. Around the same time as McKay was expecting a visit from a scientist from the SGC. On the Daedalus alone with the Wraith? No way he'd be letting her go unaccompanied. For more reasons than one.

Did he have intentions?

_Oh hell yeah._

He intended not to repeat his mistakes.

He intended to keep her safe.

And he intended to keep her.


End file.
